1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to a data network, and more particularly, to a data network in which a network management system (NMS) collects values of attributes from devices in the network during discovery of the devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, the approaches described in this section may not be prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
A network, i.e., a data network, includes a network management system (NMS) and a plurality of devices that are communicatively coupled to the network. The NMS collects values of attributes from devices during discovery of the devices. Discovery is one of a plurality of communications that may occur between the NMS and the devices. The NMS sends discovery requests to the devices, the devices respond with the values of attributes, and the NMS uses the responses to update values of database entries that correspond to the attributes. A volume of data transferred on the network as a result of discovery is a function of a number of devices from which values are collected, a number of values that are collected from each device, and a frequency of discovery operations. If the network is a cellular communications network, where cost is a function of the volume of data transferred, then it is desirable to reduce that volume. However, it is undesirable to reduce the update frequency for the corresponding database entries. There is therefore a need for an NMS that reduces data transfer volume without affecting the desired update frequency for database entries.